


there's a kind of love

by TooGucci4You



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Character Study, F/F, Fluff, Stream of Consciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 10:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14134497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGucci4You/pseuds/TooGucci4You
Summary: There's a kind of love that lives in Cheryl Blossom's heart, one that has endured so much, one that Toni treasures more than anything.OR; a character study on Cheryl Blossom and her relationship with Toni Topaz





	there's a kind of love

**Author's Note:**

> y'all im floored choni has given me life ive risen from the ashes anew
> 
> anyways this is just a weird character study-ish thing i spewed out after watching tonight's ep, honestly i was just writing down my stream of consciousness as i went, so enjoy this jumble of words

There’s a kind of love that lives in Cheryl’s heart. 

One that’s buried deeply under layers of hatred, self-doubt, and years upon years of enduring the never ending stream of abuse that came from her parents.

One that peeked its head out when Toni Topaz extended a peace offering to sit together at the movies, that quirked Cheryl’s mouth up into a smile and nudged her forward to follow Toni into the theatre.

She didn’t even try to throw up her walls against Toni, and so she just marched right into her heart and made herself at home. And she did not flinch away from the destruction and damage she saw there, remnants of past loves and walls that had tumbled down over and over, just patiently picked her way through the rubble and, offering Cheryl a soft, genuine smile, grabbed a broom and started sweeping.

Her love started tentatively, almost sneeringly, as she figured it was easier to just let Toni in so she could leave faster, hightail it outta there as soon as she saw the true extent of Cheryl’s damage. But to her deepest surprise, she didn’t. She sat patiently, never pushing or prying, just being  _ there, _ ready to talk whenever Cheryl was.

And so her love took a timid step out, then another, approaching Toni with a mix of fear and hopefulness, like an alley cat inching towards a kindly passerby.

And Toni was steadfast, gentle and understanding of her wariness. So Cheryl let herself edge closer and closer, until she could taste Toni’s breath on her lips and feel her pulse pound throughout her entire body, until the hammer fell and the entire world shattered around her like her grandmother’s scream had shattered the silence.

And so her love was buried back under the rubble and debris of her fractured happiness, stomped into oblivion by Penelope Blossom and thrown into a cold cell by the Sisters.

Cheryl felt her entire body droop, her will fade, as she was subjected to needles and physical labor and the constant reminder that what she felt was wrong, that  _ she _ was wrong. The stern, frigid voices of the nuns pierced her with icy swords, and she had no choice but to endure.

The love that lived within her had all but disappeared, kept alive by the tiny spark of memory that was the image of deep brown eyes brimming with a love only for her, of a soft smile and even softer hands on her skin. The tiny spot of warmth was what kept her from breaking completely, what allowed her to jut her chin out at the nuns and have a snarky comeback to everything they said. 

She thought she heard Toni’s voice sometimes, calling her from far away.

Once though, it seemed far more real than any of the other times, and for a moment, Cheryl let herself truly believe that Toni was actually there, that she had come for her and was going to sweep her off her feet and whisk her away to a happily ever after.

But only for a moment.

Then the tears came faster and heavier as her mind continued to torture her, trying to convince her that she could really hear Toni.

And then the door to the movie room burst open, and standing there in the harsh light of the projector, in all her tiny, fierce glory, was Toni Topaz. She looked about the room desperately, eyes landing on Cheryl, and Cheryl could only croak out one word.

“Toni?”

“We came to rescue you!” Was the breathless reply.

Cheryl stood shakily. “Y-you did?” She asked, hardly daring to believe it.

The sincere, desperate nod from Toni was all she needed, and she was flying across the room into Toni’s arms, gripping her like her life depended on it. Maybe it did. 

Toni pulled back, looking deeply into her eyes, and as Cheryl gazed back, she saw such unbridled love and joy there that she felt fresh tears begin to well up. Soft hands came to rest on her cheeks, the cold end of the flashlight in Toni’s hand just grazing one, and the warmest lips she’d ever felt were pressed against hers, kissing her right in front of the film telling them that exactly what they were doing was wrong, the irony of which was not lost on her.

Cheryl felt a thousand things in that moment. Fear. Happiness. Love. But most importantly of all, she felt  _ right _ . She felt home, she felt love. And she felt loved in return.

But then Veronica was rushing in, barely batting an eyelash at her and Toni, and telling them that the nuns were coming, an oddly menacing statement, and that they needed to run.

So Toni pulled her through the halls of the cursed institution, dodging around nuns and into stairwells, down an old damp tunnel and into the forest. 

The entire way, Toni didn’t let go of her hand, and when she briefly dropped it to put the crowbar in the door to lock the nuns in the sewer, Cheryl refused to budge until Toni’s hand was securely in hers again, and together they dashed away into the forest, away from her living nightmare.

There was something decidedly less gentle about the way Toni entered Cheryl’s heart this time. There were no slow, patient footsteps and gentle coaxing, instead Toni leaped in like a raging beast, tearing away at the fragments of pain and misery that had all but drowned her love, desperate to free it.

And she cradled that love so softly and reverently in her arms when she found it that Cheryl felt it flare back to life in her chest, no longer timid or unsure, but a bright inferno that blazed with a warmth Cheryl had never felt, not even for her brother. This was sharper, more intense. It made her feel alive.

She felt it with every sweet press of her lips against Toni’s, every honeyed word that was whispered into her ear, every gasp and sigh that tumbled from their mouths.

There was a kind of love that lived in Cheryl Blossom’s heart, one that had spent so many years buried and beaten down, afraid to come out.

But Toni had freed it from its chains, allowed it to flourish and glow and give all it had to her. And Toni loved Cheryl just as hard right back, giving her her everything, supporting her and protecting her from anything that ever dared to threaten her beloved.

Cheryl felt that love as she laid on a small bed in the basement of the White Wyrm, listening to the faint patter of rain and the slow, even breathing of the girl in bed with her.

Toni had curled herself around Cheryl protectively as she always did, despite her significantly smaller size, like a dragon guarding her precious hoard of jewels. But Cheryl was more precious to Toni than any jewel could ever hope to be, and Cheryl felt her heart sigh happily at the feeling of finally being safe and loved, at least in here, at least for right now.

She let herself drift off, snuggling deeper into Toni and feeling the girl curl tighter around her, mumbling in her sleep.

There is a kind of love that lives in Cheryl’s heart, and it has finally been set free.

**Author's Note:**

> i gotta wait 3 weeks for the new ep if theres no choni kiss im rioting


End file.
